Ilves reached the Suomen Cup semifinal with five goals against FC Lahti
Ilves convincingly defeated FC Lahti 5:2 in the quarterfinal of the Finnish football cup, the Suomen Cup, and secured a place among the four best teams in the competition. The match was played on June 10, 2026, at Tammela Stadion in Tampere, and Ilves's official report states that the home team had already built a three-goal lead in the first eight minutes. Such a start decisively shaped the match, although FC Lahti reduced the deficit by the middle of the first half and briefly reopened the contest.
According to Ilves's club report, the hero of the match was Maksim Stjopin, who scored a hat-trick and added two assists. Kalle Wallius and Jardell Kanga also scored for the winning team, while both FC Lahti goals were scored by Erik Andersson, the second of them from a penalty kick. The 5:2 result meant a secure passage for Ilves into the semifinal, where, according to the club's announcement, an away match against HJK awaits them. The other semifinal pairing consists of VPS and FC Inter, and the cup finale continues at the end of June and the beginning of July.
Ilves's lightning-fast start decided the direction of the match
According to the club's official report, Ilves took the lead already in the second minute after a move that started from a throw-in on the right side. After several touches, the ball reached Maksim Stjopin, who scored from close range for 1:0 and immediately gave the home side control over the match. Only two minutes later, the same player was once again in the right place after a good reaction by Jardell Kanga on the left side. Kanga won the duel and sent a precise ball toward the middle, and Stjopin increased Ilves's lead with his second goal in the fourth minute.
The home team did not stop after the early 2:0. In the eighth minute, Ilves produced a quick and technically clean move that began with goalkeeper Faris Krkalić. The ball went through Jesse Kilo and Stjopin behind FC Lahti's defensive line to Kalle Wallius, who scored for 3:0. According to Ilves's report, visiting goalkeeper Aatu Hakala could not prevent the precise shot into the far corner in that situation. After less than ten minutes, the home side had a result that in a knockout match usually brings a major psychological and tactical advantage.
Such a start was especially important because of the context of the previous head-to-head meeting. On May 30, 2026, Ilves lost 5:0 to FC Lahti in the Veikkausliiga, which was described in the club report as a heavy defeat. In the cup match in Tampere, the home team, according to Ilves's report, entered in a revenge-minded mood and very quickly changed the balance of power compared with the league duel in Lahti. It was precisely the aggressive start that enabled Ilves to impose the tempo and force the visitors into early risk.
Lahti returned to the match, but Stjopin completed the hat-trick
After the initial shock, FC Lahti nevertheless found a way back. In the 15th minute, Aaron Lindholm, according to Ilves's report, forwarded the ball to Erik Andersson, who entered the penalty area and scored for 3:1. The visitors thereby reduced the deficit to two goals and showed that the match would not turn into a one-way finale already in the early phase. Lahti then also threatened with a long-range shot from Yohan Cassubie, but Faris Krkalić intervened safely.
In the 24th minute, FC Lahti received another opportunity from a penalty kick after a foul by Tatu Miettunen. Erik Andersson was precise and, with his second goal, reduced the score to 3:2. At that moment, the match once again gained uncertainty in terms of the result, because Lahti had recovered a large part of the deficit in less than ten minutes and forced Ilves to stabilize its play. Still, the home side found an answer before the break, again through Stjopin.
The decisive moment of the first half occurred in the 34th minute. After Nicolas Dantas stopped Teemu Hytönen's run and earned a caution, Ilves received a free kick from a little more than 20 meters. Stjopin took the set piece and, according to the description in the club report, sent the ball into the net via the post for 4:2. It was his third goal of the match, but also a goal that significantly reduced the pressure on the home team before entering the closing phase of the first period.
The first half was also marked by a large number of fouls, cautions and tense situations. Sofascore states in the match chronology that Martim Ferreira was sent off near the end of the first half, while Ilves's report specifies that FC Lahti's Portuguese forward received a straight red card after a rough tackle on Yiandro Raap. Stanislav Baranov and Romaric Yapi were also cautioned in the same situation. After seven minutes of stoppage time, Ilves went into the break with a 4:2 lead, and the home side had both a result advantage and an extra player.
Kanga settled the question of the winner, Baranov was later sent off
At the start of the second half, FC Lahti tried to change the rhythm of the match with substitutions. According to Ilves's report, Otso Koskinen and Armend Kabashi came on instead of Tòfol Montiel and Yohan Cassubie. However, Ilves used the period of numerical advantage and scored its fifth goal in the 52nd minute. Jardell Kanga played the ball to Stjopin, who returned it to him behind the defense, and Kanga scored with an attractive finish for 5:2.
That goal practically closed the main question of the match, although there was no shortage of events until the end. FC Lahti made two more substitutions in the 56th minute, and in the 60th minute Ilves lost its numerical advantage. Stanislav Baranov received a second yellow card and had to leave the game, which restored the match to balance in terms of the number of players. Despite that, the result did not change again, and the home team managed to control the advantage gained in the first half and confirmed by Kanga's goal.
Lahti came closest to another goal in the 62nd minute, when Justus Ojanen hit the frame of the goal after an intervention by Faris Krkalić. According to Ilves's report, the ball rebounded from the goalkeeper toward the post, but the home side avoided conceding another goal. In the closing phase, Ilves refreshed the team with the introductions of Samuel Syrjänen, Roope Riski, Anton Popovitch, Joona Veteli and Rasmus Halonen. It was particularly noted that Syrjänen and Halonen recorded appearances for the first team, while Popovitch and Veteli returned after injuries.
In the 86th minute, Syrjänen could have scored in his appearance for the senior team, but Aatu Hakala closed down the space in time. In the second minute of stoppage time, Oliver Pettersson blocked Otso Koskinen's attempt almost on the goal line. Thus Ilves preserved the final 5:2, and after a very eventful first half, the second period passed in a considerably calmer rhythm. According to the club report, the match was watched by 1,314 spectators.
Stjopin's performance marked the quarterfinal
The greatest individual mark was left by Maksim Stjopin. According to Ilves's report, in addition to three goals he also recorded two assists, thereby participating in all five goals of the home team. Such an impact is especially important in cup competitions, where one match decides progression, and every early mistake or individual flash can change the entire course of the contest. In the first 34 minutes, Stjopin scored three goals of different character: from close range after a quick reaction, after a timely entry into the final phase of an attack, and from a free kick.
Alongside Stjopin, Jardell Kanga also played an important role. He participated in the second goal, assisted and later scored himself for 5:2, thereby confirming Ilves's dominance in the key moments. Kalle Wallius, with his goal for 3:0, rewarded one of the home team's finest moves in the first half. Goalkeeper Faris Krkalić had several important interventions, especially when Lahti was trying to use periods of pressure after reducing the score.
For FC Lahti, the standout player was Erik Andersson, scorer of both goals for the visiting team. His goals in the 15th and 24th minutes brought Lahti back from a very difficult situation and briefly made the match open. Still, Martim Ferreira's straight red card near the end of the first half further complicated the attempt at a comeback. When Kanga scored for 5:2 at the beginning of the second half, the visitors were left with too little room for another return, especially against a team that already had a secure cushion in the score.
What the victory means for Ilves and the Suomen Cup finale
The Suomen Cup is Finland's national cup, and according to the competition description published by Suomen Palloliitto, it is a cup system in which the winner of a match continues in the competition, while the loser is eliminated. According to the competition overview on the SuomiFutis portal, the 2026 edition began on February 6, and the final is scheduled for September 5, 2026, at Tammela Stadion in Tampere. The same source states that 417 teams participated in the men's Suomen Cup in 2026, which shows the breadth of the competition and its connection with clubs from different levels of Finnish football.
For Ilves, progression to the semifinal is important for several reasons. By winning the Suomen Cup in 2023, the club had already shown that it can go all the way in that competition, and SuomiFutis also lists earlier Ilves trophies from 1979, 1990 and 2019 in its historical overview. Entering the 2026 semifinal therefore continues a continuity of serious cup ambitions. In addition, according to the same overview, the winner of the Suomen Cup also receives a place in the qualifiers for the UEFA Conference League for the 2027/28 season, which further increases the sporting and financial significance of the finale.
Ilves's next opponent will be HJK, the most decorated club in the history of the Suomen Cup. SuomiFutis states that HJK has 15 titles in the competition and is also the defending trophy holder from 2025. Ilves's official report after the victory over FC Lahti states that the semifinal against HJK will be played in Helsinki, while according to the club's announcement the provisional date is June 30 or July 1, 2026. The other semifinal pairing, according to the same source, consists of VPS and FC Inter.
Early goals as the key difference in a knockout match
The match between Ilves and FC Lahti showed how decisive the start of a game can be in cup football. The home side scored three goals in eight minutes and thereby forced the opponent to change its game plan very early. Lahti had enough quality to reduce the score to 3:2, but did not manage to stabilize its defense before Stjopin's free kick for 4:2. That goal, together with Ferreira's red card before the break, was the turning point of the match.
Ilves played more pragmatically in the continuation, but effectively enough not to allow a dramatic finish. Kanga's fifth goal in the 52nd minute gave the home side room to control the match and rotate players, and Baranov's later sending-off did not lead to another comeback. FC Lahti had individual chances, but did not find the third goal that would have made the match uncertain again. The final 5:2 therefore realistically reflects the difference created in the most important phases of the contest: Ilves was more precise at the start, more effective from set pieces and calmer after the opponent attempted a comeback.
For FC Lahti, the defeat means the end of its participation in the Suomen Cup, while Ilves turns toward the semifinal and a demanding away match against HJK. After a 0:5 league defeat against the same opponent less than two weeks earlier, the victory in Tampere brought Ilves a strong result response and a continuation of a season in which the cup remains an important path toward a trophy. In the final phase of the competition, where there is no longer room to correct mistakes, a performance like the one from the first eight minutes against FC Lahti can carry weight far greater than a single convincing victory.
Sources:
- Ilves Football – official report from the Ilves – FC Lahti 5:2 match, record of goals, cards, substitutions, spectators and semifinal announcement (link)
- Ilves Football – announcement about the quarterfinal draw and the path toward the Suomen Cup semifinal (link)
- Ilves Football – report from the league match FC Lahti – Ilves 5:0 of May 30, 2026, used for the context of the previous head-to-head meeting (link)
- Sofascore – chronology of the Ilves – FC Lahti match, scorers, cards and basic match data (link)
- SuomiFutis – overview of the 2026 Suomen Cup, competition schedule, format, final, history of winners and competition context (link)